Two-time UFC lightweight title-challenger Kenny Florian admits his first cut to 145 pounds was a challenge.

In fact, after being forced to cut down from a beginning weight of more than 180 pounds, Florian (15-5 MMA, 12-4 UFC) wondered if fighting in a fourth weight class was perhaps one too many.

But following a victory over Diego Nunes (16-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 131 co-main event on pay-per-view, he appears to have what he wanted all along: another shot at the title.

Florian rebounded from a tough opening round and clearly won the next two to earn a unanimous-decision victory at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Before the fight, UFC president Dana White suggested Florian – who competed as a middleweight on the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter” – could cut to the front of the contenders’ line if victorious in his 145-pound debut.

And now? Is he next for a title shot?

“More than likely,” White joked. “How’s that for confirmation?”

Jose Aldo currently holds the UFC’s featherweight title. With a recent victory over Michihiro Omigawa, Chad Mendes was supposed to be next in line. But when a nagging injury pushed back Aldo’s return time, Mendes opted to take another fight rather than wait an extra month or two for Aldo.

So theoretically, the door is open for Florian.

“I want a shot at the belt,” he said. “I think Jose Aldo is one of the best fighters in the game, and I have a lot of respect for him. I’m a big fan, but I think every UFC fighter’s dream is or should be to be a champion and to test yourself against the best. He’s one of the best, and that’s what I want.”

In fact, due to the perils of his weight cut – which started after “two weeks on the couch” while recovering from a knee injury – Florian said he’s a stronger fighter now than ever before.

“I think honestly this whole weight cut and going down, it was a true test of discipline, and I think it took me to the next level as far as mentally and what I’m capable of doing,” he said. “After doing that, I think anything is easy. Then going out there and having a tough fight against a top guy, that’s what I wanted. This is why I’m in the UFC, to fight the best guys and to test myself. I’m very thankful for that.”

He told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) he actually felt stronger as the fight wore on. As Nunes clearly slowed in the later rounds, Florian seemingly picked up the pace.

“During the fight, I felt really good,” he said. “I actually felt I got stronger as the fight went on. It was tough. That little guy is fast. I think my timing was a little off in the first round, but once I was able to adjust, I felt great. I felt that I as able to outlast him. I felt he was getting tired and getting frustrated, and I just tried to keep the pressure on him. I knew even despite that hard weight cut, my training was still great.”

Since his loss to Diego Sanchez at the TUF 1 Finale, Florian is 12-3 in the UFC. The only losses came in title fights (to Sean Sherk and B.J. Penn) and a No. 1 contender’s bout (with Gray Maynard). He’s defeated notables such as Clay Guida, Takanori Gomi, Joe Stevenson and Joe Lauzon during his recent run.

So while his accomplishments at featherweight may be limited, White and the UFC bosses look more at his total body of work.

And that, White said, is worthy of a shot at the belt.

“Kenny has been here for a long time,” he said. “We have a lot of respect for him. He goes from 185 pounds down to we’ll see where he ends up. He deserves a shot at the title, no doubt about it.”

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